2009-10 Quality Hunt
Drawing Results
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Didn't Participate in the Drawing?
For those that didn't participate in the drawing you can still utilize the Quality Hunt Units. Print a Snow Goose Quality Hunt Authorization online now. Get started here. |
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Snow
geese flocks taking flight from the Hayton-Fir Island Snow Goose Reserve.
Credit: Ginger Holser, WDFW photo |
Welcome Snow Goose Hunters
This webpage is devoted to the Snow Goose Quality Hunt Program on Fir Island and northern Port Susan Bay, and provides information on the scope of this hunt and rules governing it for participating hunters and other interested persons, as well as conditions hunters can expect and tips for gearing up.
The program is operating with the cooperation of several local landowner/growers and the residents of Fir Island and Stanwood areas.
Important changes to the Snow Goose Quality Hunts
There are some changes to the 2009-10 Snow Goose Quality Hunt Program that differ from the previous three years. The Quality Hunt units will be huntable the first day of the waterfowl season, October 17 and each week until January 31. Except for Saturdays the units are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Saturdays will be reserved for those selected in the special drawing held in early October. The Fir Island units will be open to hunting 5 days a week (closed Sundays and Mondays) and the Stanwood units will be open 7 days a week.
Although the acreage enrolled in the program is down from previous years, there should still be plenty of opportunity to hunt snow geese on WDFW managed lands. There are 15 units on Fir Island and 5 units in Stanwood totaling more than 700 acres. These fields have been prepared with the planting of a “green” cover crop of either winter wheat or winter rye. Both are excellent rotation crops for farmers and are becoming preferred food sources for snow geese.
Additionally, our local wintering population of snow geese had a very favorable spring and summer. The pre-migration estimates were very high relative to years past, particularly last year (2008-09).Somewhere between 110,000-125,000 snow geese are expected to over-winter here in North Puget Sound compared to only 57,000 last year (an additional 20,000-25,000 birds were expected last year but may have moved elsewhere due to the cold winter). Another very important estimate to consider is the juvenile to adult ratio in the population. While typical percentages fall in the 15% range, this year 40% of the entire flock are expected to be first-year birds.Last year the grey birds only comprised 1% of the population. These estimates should produce great decoying opportunities throughout the hunting season to those who put the time and energy needed to decoy these birds.
Rules and Guidelines Snow Goose Hunters Need To Know
Each hunter must possess these items to utilize a quality hunt unit:
Other Important legal reminders
Enforcement: The rules and regulations governing snow goose hunting will be strictly enforced on Quality Hunt units as elsewhere. Anyone violating general waterfowl hunting regulations or conditions specific to this snow goose hunt will be subject to citation and revocation of future snow goose hunting privileges.
On Fir Island the Quality Hunt units are closed on Sundays and Mondays.Tuesdays through Fridays the units are first-come, first-serve. The unit is held by the hunter who parks in that unit’s parking space. The units are reserved on Saturdays for those randomly drawn in early October.
In Stanwood the Quality Hunt units will remain open seven days a week through the hunting season.All other rules apply. Please read through the following reminders carefully.
One party of 4 hunters maximum in each unit: The vehicle’s owner must be present. On Saturdays the hunters who are drawn for a snow goose quality unit must be present.Hunters must have all their authorizations with them and present it if requested. Non-hunting persons may attend, but they count towards the maximum party size.
Quality Hunt units are accessible from 4am to 6 pm. Parking and entry are closed outside those hours.
Hunter responsibility for notification: Successful applicants must check in with the WDFW hunt registry at least one week prior to the first hunt day of the week to confirm the use of their hunt unit. If you cannot be present on a given hunt day, your unit will remain vacant.
No commercialization: Snow goose quality hunt authorizations are not valid for commercial uses.
Assignment of this authorization: Hunters who are drawn for or possess a snow goose quality unit may not give or assign their hunt day to a third party.
Rotating parties: As long as all participants observe the daily bag and possession limits for waterfowl including snow geese, no fee is charged for access and parties are limit to four or fewer persons at any time, there is no overall restriction or limit to the number of persons invited by the unit holder to hunt with them on any hunt day.
Decoy hunting mandatory: All hunters on these quality units must display and hunt over 2 or more “snow goose-like” decoys intended specifically to lure these birds.
No excavations: No pit blinds or recesses in the ground for portable blinds may be dug on any private lands enrolled in this program. Also do not cut into ditch embankments or weaken any ditch top line. Where a ditch line or drainage trench is included in the hunt unit, hunters may stand in them. You may erect a temporary, free-standing, framed blind or use any convenient natural shrub vegetation located within the shooting areas as screening provided you do not cut or up-root and relocate it.
Motor vehicle operation: Cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs are banned from all farm fields in this program. Only authorized participant vehicles may be parked in designated areas off public roadways. Registered disabled hunters contacting the Department in advance may arrange for facilitated access by light vehicle in accordance with Department regulations.
Don’t trespass: In this hunt, as well as everywhere else in Washington, going onto someone’s land without permission is illegal.
Safety zones: Observe all safety zones around homes and out buildings; do not shoot into them from a unit boundary. Also, hunters may not carry a loaded firearm into any safety zone.
Grower’s access: Landowner/growers have administrative access rights at any time to their properties to do special or routine winter farming tasks such as managing drainage. They have indicated they will schedule and do any work on off days to minimize conflicts with hunters.
Retrieval of birds from private lands: Unless otherwise indicated, hunters do not have authorization to trespass on adjacent private lands to get downed birds.
Boundaries posted with “No Trespassing” signs are entirely off-limits.
Ground shooting: So-called “ground-sluicing” of birds is unethical and dangerous. In doing so a hunter can put members of their or another hunting party at risk. The only exception would be to kill a cripple to recover it, but the shooter must be absolutely sure the down range or background is clear and safe. If not, the shooter could be charged with reckless endangerment.
Decoy removal: On lands owned or controlled by WDFW all decoys sets and materials must be removed at the end of hunting each day.
Litter control: With the variety of materials that can be used as decoys, there is the potential for them to become litter. It’s important that you make every effort to retrieve all trash, shell casings, plastics, paper and blow-away items from adjacent hunt units before you leave.
Remember you are on private property by the consent of these landowners.
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Two
“green” fields in this picture have six hunt units on
them averaging between 12-20 acres each.
Credit: Paul DeBruyn, WDFW photo. |
Quality Hunt Unit Information
Unit maps and driving direction
Hunters can look over the maps carefully to get familiar with the hunt units as they pertain to one another, nearby roads and residences, and parking and access to the units.These printable maps will also serve as a rough guide in the field.It is important that hunters know their units boundaries as well as a general lay of the land.
Quality Hunt Unit Maps
Snohomish County mapping
Skagit County mapping
Unit layout, markers and signage
Hunt unit layout and setting: Hunt areas are set back from roads and all adjacent residences and out-buildings. They are marked with several types of markers and signs will help hunters determine the bounds of their decoy and shooting areas.
Unit parking sign: only one vehicle may occupy a hunt unit (parking space).There are local parking areas close by for extra parking.These locations are identified on the Quality Hunt overview map.
Wooden lathe stakes with arrow signs will point in the direction hunters need to walk to get to your shooting area. These along with bamboo poles painted orange will also indicate the unit corners
Low profile wooden posts will make the approximate center the shooting area so hunters can judge the space available to set decoys and blinds. The white PVC plastic pipe (for visibility) can be removed if hunters think it will distract birds, but please put it back on when they leave.
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Hi-visibility
signs mark parking and entry points for hunt units.
Credit: Doug
Huddle, WDFW photos |
Orange
painted bamboo poles mark hunt unit corners and starts of safety zones. |
Wooden
posts with one foot white PVC cylinders mark approximate center of
hunt units. |
Both these and the wooden lathe stakes will have high visibility reflectors for detection with a light in darkness. Hunters should be sure to bring a bright, focused-beam flashlight if they plan to enter your unit before daylight.
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Wildlife
Biologist Jennifer Bohannon sets a safety zone sign for barn in background
next to a hunt unit corner post.
Credit: Doug Huddle, WDFW photo. |
Safety zone signs (red diamond shape) are set around all adjacent residential dwellings and out buildings.
Property lines will be posted “No Trespassing,” or “Closed Area,” in which case no entry for any reason is allowed.
Helpful information and hunting tips
Fraser-Skagit Population Dynamic
The snow geese over wintering in Northwest Washington comprise a unique population of intercontinental travelers that are shared by three counties, the U. S., Canada and Russia. These snow geese make an arduous annual flight to Russia’s Chuckchi Sea waters to breed on Wrangel Island off the north coast of Siberia.They are called the Fraser-Skagit population, because the same identification collaring/banding studies that disclosed details of their migration timing and itinerary, found that snow geese of this group had a high fidelity to one nesting site on Wrangel Island and to one wintering area, here. They stay apart from the other snow geese aggregations that nest separately on Wrangel and winter in California.
Wrangel Island population information
Local Impacts
Snow geese graze on native delta salt marsh plants, especially the three-square bulrush.These tidelands can no longer support the ever-growing population.To supplement their diet snow geese feed on winter “green” crops on farmed lands in and around the Skagit and Stillagaumish River deltas.
Snow geese in mass can easily clear winter cover crops, sometimes doing irreparable damage.Late winter and early spring crops of winter rye grass and winter wheat are particularly vulnerable.
Wildlife managers and local landowners will be challenged in the future to not only encourage responsible hunting and viewing of these birds, but to develop ways to mitigate their impacts on farming and the vitality of lower Skagit and Stillagaumish Valley agriculture.
The Snow Goose Quality Hunt Program is a result of funding by Washington Migratory Bird Stamp funding and cooperation between area farmers and WDFW.
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Snow
goose morning flights from the bay into the reserve can occur at any
time from first light to as late as 10 a.m. depending on weather conditions.
It’s during these flights as singles, doubles and small flocks
break off and fly out of the reserve that initial shooting opportunities
can occur in nearby quality hunt units.
Credit: Doug Huddle, WDFW photos. |
Reserves
The Hayton Snow Goose Reserve on Fir Island and the Lervick/Boe Rd Snow Goose Management Area in Stanwood, are respite zones from hunting and later winter disturbance.They act as focal points which the snow geese base their winter activity.They are closed to hunting but open in some areas for viewing and photography.They can offer valuable information to hunters that pay close attention to their social behavior and population dynamics.
Snow goose biology and identification
Hunting Rural Habitat
Waterfowlers will be hunting in a rural but highly visible and intensively farmed setting.
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| Crop
harvests occurred in late September and early October. Field on
the left has potatoes (Hunt Unit 1 A), the brown field (Hunt Unit
2A) in the mid ground has drying beet seed on it. Both were planted
ton cover crop in mid October. |
Harvest
occurred from dawn to dusk in October.
Credits: Doug Huddle, WDFW photos |
They are sharing this environment with many year-round residents who live around the units as well as hundreds of additional daily commuters and visitors who have come to see and photograph the snow geese. Hunters should expect to have many eyes watching.
This hunt will occur on cultivated fields, all of which have been planted with either winter wheat or rye grass. It’s ultra flat terrain where the scant natural cover consists of some volunteer vegetation growing along some natural sloughs, field ditches and winter drainage trenches.
There’s not much native cover, but most unit fields have established “greened” up cover crops. Many hunters use camouflage webbing or cloth in native, dull colored vegetation schemes, including a clumping of leafless shrubs. Some are matching the rye grass green or winter wheat green color and others use white overalls or tyvek suits.
Time of season, tide schedule, wind direction and velocity, and visibility all play roles in affecting how the birds fly in from the bay front.Prolonged cold snaps and exploration of new food locations can and will alter the daily patterns of these adapatable birds.The conditions of the cover crops both in the reserve and in surrounding agricultural fields will play a role in hunter success.
The Snow Goose Quality Hunt program encourages hunters to utilize whatever means available to prepare for each day in the field.Research snow goose biology and morphology, find what others have done to successfully decoy geese in the area, and invest the necessary time to organize equipment and supplies, and memorable hunts can follow.
Snow goose hunting information and tips
Other hunting opportunities in the area
There are state-owned lands open for public recreation in the area.These include waterfowl and pheasant hunting, Throughout the three counties.Hunters can visit the WDFW website for information on these areas
http://wdfw.wa.gov/mapping/gohunt/index.html
Important topics hunters must be aware of
Figure
1. Adult trumpeter swan |
Figure
2. Adult snow goose |
Swans
have long necks in relation to their bodies, black bills and all white
plumage except for “rust” stained heads. Snow geese are
smaller, have shorter necks, rose colored bills and vivid black wing
tips.
Credits: Ginger Holser, WDFW photos. |
Swans in the area
Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish Counties hold many waterfowl species.Some of which could be confused with snow geese.Several thousand trumpeter and tundra swans reside throughout the three counties and on bayfronts from mid-fall through spring.
Waterfowlers must be able to discriminate between mature or juvenile swans and their snow goose counterparts. That can be a challenge for inexperienced hunters.With proper species identification, shot selection, and patience there should be little confusion between the species.Hunters should brush up on all the waterfowl identification skills before the the season begins.Under both state and federal laws it is not legal to harm swans under any circumstances.
Swans and lead poisoning
Tundra Swan biology and identification
Trumpeter swan biology and identification
Avian Influenza
Although avian flu is making headlines, we emphasize these points:
1. The HPAI H5N1 virus has not been found in North American wild or domestic birds.
2. There is no evidence that properly cooked waterfowl (or domestic poultry) can sicken people.
As you harvest snow geese in this program, you may be contacted by state biologists who will conduct a simple sampling procedure. It will not contaminate your birds nor is it even an indication that your birds have the virus. We ask that you cooperate with samplers in the process, which should not unduly inconvenience you.
As mentioned, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is collaborating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on a nationwide surveillance effort for early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) in wild birds.
WDFW and avian inluenza
Avian influenza links
If you have pictures and/or stories, comments about this hunt or suggestions for the future, feel free to send them to snowgoosehunt@dfw.wa.gov.
Please report hunting violations to the Washington State Patrol at (360) 757-1175.
Good luck and hunt safely
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